January has gone by in a flash, but we did have some fun that I would like to remember. One event was celebrating my youngest sister’s birthday at Tabi-Ji in Orange. We sat at the teppanyaki table for lunch, which I do not remember ever doing before with my family.
Our chef was very friendly but not too in-your-face, which I appreciated.
Making the fried rice with the egg flip.
The ever-popular onion volcano.
Our nephew j was scared by the flame! The chef asked n if he wanted to try to catch a piece of chicken in his mouth, but he refused. D tried and came close!
On our last day we ate the free breakfast at the hotel again, with the same exact food. Before going home, we made one last stop at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. This was a good stop for us because we were able to see some of the animals that the kids had learned about during the junior ranger program, but we never saw in the wild.
I’m glad we never came across this guy…
…or this guy!
There was a sign that each person could take one rock home, so they searched for the best one they could find.
Definitely try to come here early in the morning to avoid the crowds. It opened at 8:30 the day we were there. During the summer I think it opens even earlier because most people want to avoid the scorching sun. They even provide free sunscreen from dispensers in all of the restrooms. The weather was a little chilly for us in the morning, but pleasant by mid-morning.
I like how the animals are not in cages, so it feels more natural. It kind of reminded us of San Diego Safari Park, but smaller.
After hearing much about its distinctive smell, we finally saw a javelina.
The highlight was probably the Raptor Free Flight show.
You have to stand throughout the show, but the birds swoop right over you–pretty cool!
The space is not enclosed, but they keep the birds near with food.
I felt like there was more to explore, but we needed to get back on the road for our seven+ hour drive home. It was a short trip, but I feel like we packed a lot in. D and I have started talking about doing Utah next, since it has been five years since our last trip and the kids barely remember it!
For lunch we ate at The Quesadillas. The “The” in the name cracks me up.
We ordered two quesadillas (they come with a bean taco) and two tacos.
The mesquite grilled meat was plentiful and flavorful. We ended up having to order another quesadilla since n ate more than I thought he would.
Next we stopped at Beyond Bread to pick up our dinner to eat later. This local chain was quite large and crowded.
We split a lemon bar while we waited for our to-go order.
There were many dips in the road on our way to the east side of Saguaro National Park that the kids thought were quite fun.
We were able to take a picture by the sign this time.
I’m not sure how this could be a comfortable perch! This was about the extent of our wildlife sighting in the parks.
The kids took their junior ranger oaths here. The movie was not as good as on the west side.
Christmas decorations were still up.
Pretending to be saguaros.
There were many times when it felt like we had the park to ourselves. Such a nice change from the more crowded parks we have been to.
I love that n still wants to hold our hands sometimes.
Loved the sky and light at this moment.
We ate dinner a little early since we had reservations for the park’s Holiday Caravan at 5:30. We just ended up eating the car because it was getting a little chilly outside.
We share a turkey avocado sandwich and a roast beef brie sandwich. As you can see, they did skimp on the brie! These were hefty sandwiches, so two was plenty for the four of us.
I was not sure what to expect from the Holiday Caravan. I imagined some strings of Christmas lights on the saguaros, perhaps with santa hats and sunglasses. Well, it turned out that is was really just a group drive along the loop that we had already taken, but at night. There were a few stops where the park ranger had some commentary which he tried to relate to the holiday season. One stop did have luminarias lighting the path which was a nice touch. The visitor center also had some warm apple cider and prickly pear preserves samples, which was a nice touch.
That dot is Venus, according to some people in our group who seemed to know what they were talking about. I also saw my first shooting star! I was sad that the kids did not see it with me, but hopefully they will have more opportunities in the future.
Our next stop was the University of Arizona campus in Tucson. I always enjoy checking out college campuses. School was not in session, but there were still others milling about like us.
We lucked out with a prime parking spot just outside the campus. The surrounding neighborhood had some trendy restaurants and shops and looked like a fun place to hang out.
Nice landscaping and buildings.
I liked how this sculpture has saguaros intermixed with scientists. I’m not sure what was so funny!
Wildcats!
Next we checked into Towneplace Suites courtesy of D’s Marriot points. The kids slept on the pull out sofa bed.
A kitchen is always nice to have. The first night we ate the free chicken breast sandwiches offered by the hotel.
I was excited to try the regional specialty: Sonoran Hot Dogs. The menu describes them as: “Bacon wrapped Frank, Beans, grilled onion, fresh onion, tomato, mayo, mustard, & jalapeño sauce”.
The condiment bar was quite diverse, with various peppers, onions and salsas.
The hot dog was all I hoped it would be. The pocket bun was nice and soft, but did its job in holding all of the ingredients. The beans were an interesting addition and the overall combination of flavors was quite delicious. I can see why this place is a local institution.
At the very end of last year, we took a quick trip to Arizona to visit Saguaro National Park (pronounced Sa-wahr-o). The drive took about seven hours, so it is just like our drives to Northern California. The park is divided into two parts, and Tuscson is in the middle. Our first stop was the west side, known as the Tucson Mountain District. Warning: there will be A LOT of pictures of cacti from this trip!
On the 10 freeway, we passed this notable exit:
The visitor center had nice southwest architecture that blended into the environment. We picked up our junior ranger booklets and did not have to pay the $10 parking fee since we had k’s 4th grade pass.
We watched the introductory movie. It had a great ending, but I will not ruin the surprise!
There is a loop for cars that is fairly rough and gravel-y. However, all of the hiking trails we took were fairly level and some were paved.
The weather was quite mild and pleasant. I would hate to be here in the summer!
Saguaros have so much personality. I can see why they are often depicted as people. It takes around fifty years for them to develop an arm!
The junior ranger packets were no joke. We had to finish them up that night at the hotel.
There was a little elevation gain on the Valley View Overlook trail.
Saguaros as far as the eye can see!
I’m not sure why n is making faces in so many of these pictures. He was not in a bad mood, but just not in the mood for pictures, I guess!
Don’t get too close, D!
Barrel Cactus
Teddy Bear Cholla
This trail was notable for the petroglyphs in the rocks.
A Palo Verde, the state tree.
I told n to pretend to look scared–ha!
This portion of the park took us about three hours to explore.
A couple days after Christmas we went to Victoria Beach in Laguna for a quick picnic. The tips on Yelp for finding this hidden spot were helpful. Park on the beach side of PCH for free! Do not even attempt to park in the residential neighborhood, or you are basically asking for a ticket.
Walk down Victoria Street…
and admire the multi-million dollar homes…
…until you dead end into Sunset.
There you will see a set of stairs which lead you to the beach.
Take the stairs down…
to Victoria Beach:
Climb over the rocks to the right and you will find a children’s pool…
Our Christmas break has sadly come to an end. I love the Christmas season because there is so much family time together. However, we inevitably end up driving each other crazy…and then it is a relief to get back to a routine and productivity.
Christmas Eve peppermint brownie sundaes.
Part of k’s expanding Hello Kitty ornament collection.
Exhibit A of “driving each other crazy”.
The kids set their alarm at 5 a.m. on Christmas morning unbeknownst to us. We put on the KTLA virtual fireplace. It was pretty entertaining watching the fire grow and being stoked.
I bought the kids matching PJs since there are probably not too many more years where they would comply.
No Christmas is complete without my mom’s Yule Log cake.
D grew up skiing with his family. It has been D’s dream to take the kids skiing since they could walk. Finally, last week, this dream became a reality. Before Christmas, we went on a day ski trip with a girl who is on k’s b-ball team and in her girl scout troop and her mom. We went in their car to Mountain High, which is conveniently located just off the highway. The snow was not that great but they were expecting a storm that night and flurries started just as we were leaving. The good part is that I think a lot of people were waiting for the snow and the mountain was not too crowded on the day we were there.
We were able to borrow all of our gear, but I did buy the kids base layers from Costco. Now that we know that the kids enjoy it, we may invest in some pieces.
The helmet rentals were $5 extra, but I would say they are a “must-have”, even on the bunny slopes.
Taking the magic carpet ride to the top of the bunny slope.
Both of the kids practiced on the bunny slope before their lessons. I could not believe how fast they picked it up! I have been skiing a few times and snowboarding once, and I think they are already better than me. Learning when you are young is definitely the way to go.
Don’t get me wrong, there were definitely some tumbles in the beginning. At one point, n fell and then D had to jump over him with his skis to avoid him (this was when I was grateful for the helmet!)
We explained how k had just turned ten a couple of days before, so we were able to but k and n in the same beginner’s class for 7-9 year olds. There were three 9 year olds, and n, but he was able to keep up. After the class, we ate lunch at lodge cafeteria (where I hung out most of the time).
Then everyone went on the green runs “Snowflake” and “Coyote”, and tackled the ski lifts. D reported that k and n never fell down. This is amazing to me, who has experienced many a fall on greens!
These were taken by my friend when they were on the bunny slopes before the lesson. I like the “GoPro” angle!
D learned to ski when he was ten years old, so he is glad that k was able to go this year. n has a head start, since he is younger, but he was still frustrated when k went on one extra run at the end that was a little harder with her friend and her mom. I guess I will never fully understand the youngest child mentality, but D can relate.
